Adaptations to Nussbaum’s List of Central Capabilities Required to Include Children

Abstract

In 2011, Martha Nussbaum published a list of ten central capabilities with the intention of it being universal for all humans. This thesis provides evidence that Nussbaum’s list of central capabilities it is only partially applicable to children. By analyzing children’s needs and deriving the responsibilities we have towards children, it is demonstrated that some of the capabilities central to children’s wellbeing and well-becoming are not included in the list, notably capabilities which meet children’s differing needs with respect to learning, epistemic injustice, autonomy, vulnerability and special goods. This means that Nussbaum’s list of central capabilities is only partially suitable to describe the central capabilities that children should have in order to be able to flourish. This finding is relevant because Nussbaum’s list is influential, not only academically, but also in policy making. Knowing that human beings aged 0 to 18 form about 30% of the world population, it must be concluded that not including the capabilities of children neglects the needs of a large group of humans: children. Therefore, this thesis attempts to make a start with a list of central capabilities for children. A more elaborated version of this new list could be used as a source of reference for those who wish to increase wellbeing and well-becoming of children, such as policy makers, and thus have social and political implications.